2017

So, there’s a reason why I drove the Morgan yesterday, and it’s not just because it was a beautiful day to driving around top down in the depths of winter. There was a local Craigslist ad listing a 1971 BMW 2002 for sale with as asking price of $12,500, a low enough price for a roundie that I was seriously tempted to grab some cash out of my savings account and go buy the thing just to check “own a roundie BMW” off my automotive check list.

Doing so would require replacing a car in the fleet. The only car in the fleet I can replace right now is the Morgan. So I drove the Morgan in the cold, through rush hour traffic, one hour to Rochester Hills to check out the car, and then drove it back. Nothing like a drive in the car to be replaced to make you really consider if you’re willing to sway it for a different car… (more…)

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Temperature above 15 degrees Fahrenheit? Check. Dry roads? Check. Nothing going on at work, so I can spend 20 minutes warming up the engine? Check. A car with no windows or heater, but free from the tyranny of having a roof? Check. Today’s drive the Morgan to work day!

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I couldn’t help buying this cheap little $0.99 key tag for the Morgan, because every drive in the car is an adventure. Sadly, I took the car out for a quick last drive for the year to fill up the tank, taking unsalted neighborhood roads to the gas station and back before tucking the car into the garage for the winter. The snow is super light, and it’s not accumulating on the ground, but the scourge of salt trucks have begun nonetheless…

Progress on the Mustang is slow. The car that I had driven to the tune of 20k miles over the course of three years — more mileage than most non-air conditioned classic Mustangs would see in decades in retirement as classic cars — has added zero miles to the odometer for the past year.

The car doesn’t need much work in order to be able to move under its own power. Essentially, it just needs clutch hydraulics, new brake lines, and finally the transmission, driveshaft, and exhaust installed. Any competent mechanic could probably knock this out in a single weekend day. But I’m not a competent mechanic. (more…)

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Sitrep: Four car garage, filled with three cars that aren’t going anywhere any time soon, and the shell of car that should go away but hasn’t yet. Progress on the Mustang is slow — I don’t think I’ll have the car mobile before the end of the year at this rate. Miata is down for bodywork, top, and roll bar work. The Morgan’s engine is making funny noises and needs some attention. And I still have the shell of the old red Subaru XT Turbo in the back corner. Motivation to work on the cars in my unheated garage is dropping rapidly, in pace with the mercury on the thermometer.

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Bored of the 2005 Honda Civic EX coupe that I was daily driving at the time, I succumbed to the siren song of cheap turbo horsepower and picked up this 2016 model year Fiesta ST at the beginning of 2017. Because the car was a leftover 2016 model sitting on the dealership lot three months into the new year, I managed to get a fantastic deal on a nearly fully loaded Fiesta ST — a $5k cash factory rebate.

This car has all of the options except for the headroom-robbing moonroof. It has aggressive yet comfortable Recaro bucket seats that are also heated — a godsend in cold weather. It has automatic climate control and a touchscreen infotainment system. And of course, it has a peppy little turbocharged 4-banger putting power through a 6-speed manual.

I’ve told myself that I can’t do anything to this car. So far, outside of extra wheels and tires, I’ve accomplished that goal. We’ll see if that equilibrium lasts…

Photo by Perry Bennet

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After a two year hiatus from the fleet, I bought the car back in October 2017. When I sold the car to Shane, I insisted that I have first right of refusal on the car. After taking the car to 5th place in Street Touring Roadsters last year, a fiercely competitive autocross class where the competition included ND Miatas and AP2 S2000s, (and probably the best finish the car will ever have at Nationals,) Shane decided to move on to a different car for next season, and I swooped down and claimed my car back.

My car? Why, yes. I bought this car brand new back in 2009, and it was mine for all these years save for the two years Shane owned and competed in it. The car started off stock as a C Stock autocross car, turning into a Street Touring Roadster autocross car once I moved to Michigan. The car is prepped nearly to the limit of the rules, with two sets of tires mounted on 17×9″ wheels, full exhaust with a tune, an aftermarket OS Giken clutch limited slip differential, full suspension running 500/400 pound/inch springs front/rear, adjustable sway bars on both ends, a lightweight battery, and a race seat.

In its current state, the Miata is a hoot to drive. But I do have “grander” plans for the future. I plan on installing a roll bar and taking the car to more open track days with the eventual goal of competing in time trials competition with the car.